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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Comics Used to Promote Fruit Intake

Registered dietitians and other health professionals often struggle
with making education materials appropriate for their audiences. Manga comics,
Japanese comic art, were used to promote healthy snacking in a pilot program. This
took place in Brooklyn, New York and employed the use of comics to promote
choosing fruit over high energy snacks, such as cookies or chips. By using the
comics, researchers were able to capture the attention of youth who are accustomed
to living in a high media environment. This study looked at 57 children around
the age of 11, many of whom were eligible for the school lunch program. Two
groups were created, one group read the comic “Fight for Your Right to Fruit”
while the second group read a non-nutrition related piece. Both groups were
offered a choice of fruit or high energy foods for a snack after reading their
respective pieces. 61% of the children in the comic group chose fruit for their
snack after reading while only 35% of the control group chose fruit. While studies
of a larger sample size need to be conducted, this research is helpful for
health professionals to learn how to relate to their younger clients.

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Changes Taking Place for Dietetics at AU

As the recent post mentioned, the AU Dietetics Program will be moving out of the Department of FCS to form the new Department of Health Sciences along with Athletic Training and Exercise Sciences within the Shar College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Change is never easy, and much time has been dedicated to this decision and evaluating the subsequent impacts that this move will have on all those concerned.
Overall, this realignment will increase the visibility of the Dietetics Major to the community and prospective students. Logically, it is easier for students to associate Dietetics with other health care majors than with those majors within FCS. The historical placement of nutrition and in some cases Dietetics, within the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences remains at some institutions, but the trend is to move this major to a more appropriate placement along side other health-related areas of study. While the historical perspective should be acknowledged and appreciated, it should never limit the vision towards the future. Without vision and change, the continual growth, development, and evolution of this program would not be able to reach its fulliest potential. As previously stated, change and growth are seldom easy, but without them, proactive steps become reactive, which is not a beneficial strategy when moving forward towards the future, for if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind. Dr. V.

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Managing Food Allergies

Have you or a family member been diagnosed with a food allergy? Or perhaps you have a guest visiting your home with a food allergy? One important step to remember in managing food allergies is to avoid cross-contact.

Cross-contact occurs when one food comes into contact with another food and their proteins mix. As a result, each food then contains small amounts of the other food that are often invisible to us. Even a trace of food on a spoon or spatula that is invisible to us can cause an allergic reaction.

When cooking allergen-free meals, use utensils and pans that have been thoroughly washed with soap and water. If cooking several foods at the same time, cook the allergen-free meal first, then keep it covered and away from any splatter caused by other foods that are cooking. If you have handled an allergy-causing food, wash your hands with soap and warm water before serving the allergen-free meal.